- by croatiaweek
- May 21, 2026
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in
News
Croatia’s Minister of Justice, Damir Habijan, has announced plans for a broad package of legal reforms, including the consideration of introducing life imprisonment into the country’s legal system, daily Večernji list reported on Thursday.
The minister also confirmed the formation of a working group tasked with preparing amendments to a number of existing laws, marking what is expected to be a significant overhaul of parts of Croatia’s judicial and criminal justice framework.
Habijan was speaking following the recent murder of a 19-year-old pizza delivery man in Drniš. He also expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
The minister confirmed that the government will establish a dedicated working group to review and propose amendments across a range of laws. One of the key proposals under consideration will be the introduction of an institute of life imprisonment within Croatian legislation.
Currently, Croatia does not have life imprisonment, meaning a true “life sentence” without a fixed maximum term, in its current criminal law.
The Croatian Criminal Code uses long-term imprisonment instead, typically ranging from 21 to 40 years. In exceptional cases, it can reach up to 50 years.
Life imprisonment was briefly introduced in 2003 as the maximum penalty for the most serious crimes, replacing the death penalty, abolished in 1990.
However, it was abolished in 2004 by the Constitutional Court, mainly due to issues with parliamentary procedure and concerns about rehabilitation and human rights.
Several other European countries also avoid true life sentences in favour of long but fixed terms.
The announcements signal a wider policy direction towards strengthening criminal justice measures and reviewing judicial accountability mechanisms as part of ongoing legal reforms.
